Outage Restoration

Checklist of things to do when an outage occurs:

Check to see if your neighbors’ lights are off. Even if your neighbors' lights are on, don’t hesitate to call Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative.

If fuses or breakers are OK, call SVEC. Following the prompts from the automated system, give your name, SVEC account number, telephone number and the approximate time the outage occurred. This will help the Cooperative determine the extent of the outage and restore service as quickly as possible.

Turn off all electric appliances that were on when the outage occurred, especially air conditioners, heat pumps or other large electric appliances. You will want to leave a light on so you will know when your power has been restored.

Turn on your portable radio and listen for messages from the Cooperative. This will occur only when there has been a major storm or other major unplanned outage.

STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED POWER LINES and broken utility poles. Please note the location of the downed line or pole and call SVEC immediately. Even lines that look harmless can be dangerous.

If your power is still out once your neighbors’ homes have been returned to service, you should not hesitate to call the Cooperative again.

Don’t keep checking your refrigerator and/or freezer. Food will keep much longer if the doors are kept closed. If it appears the outage could be for an extended time period, cover your refrigerator and/or freezer with a heavy blanket.

If any member of your family is on a life-support system, please notify Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative today so their name, account number and telephone number can be placed on our life support registry. ( 22 KB)

Steps to Restoring Power

Restoring power after a major outage involves much more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line. View this diagram to see how SVEC restores power.